Albus Potter and the Faery Book
by Precious Roses
Summary: Albus Potter is starting his first year at Hogwarts, but there are a few unexpected turns. Full Summary Inside. Please Read and Review.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. This work belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only J.K. Rowling. This is purely fictional and my own story, but I do not own Hogwarts. It is based around canonical information, but it isn't canon. I have also added a few characters that you will know immediately. **

**A/N: Since there isn't a proper summary on the outside of this story, the inside is where the summary is. Okay Summary: **

_**Ever since Albus got his acceptance letter to Hogwarts, he has been hoping – praying – for Gryffindor. Anything but getting into Slytherin. But when something unexpected happens during the Sorting Ceremony, Albus finds himself in a neither. Now at Hogwarts, he makes knew friends with Scorpius Malfoy and Amelia-Jane Kemmington. One day, in the library, Albus, Scorpius and A.J. stumble across a mysterious lilac book. Upon opening it, they unleash the Faery Plagues on the school. Albus and his friends have to race against time to find the cure.**_

One

Boarding the Train

"We'll be on the train to Hogwarts faster than you can say _Slytherin_," James said, "And before you'll know it, you'll be under the Sorting Hat, and you know what it might say, don't you? Don't you, Al?" James stressed the word Slytherin, knowing that it would drive Albus to a heated retort.

"I won't!" Albus said, suddenly, "I won't be a Slytherin!" the argument that Al might be in Slytherin had been going on for some time. Actually, it had been going since Albus's acceptance letter to Hogwarts had arrived. James has seized the chance to begin to tease his brother. It was fun to tease his little brother, but James tried (Admittedly not that hard) not to go too far.

"James, give it a rest!" said Ginny, letting out a long sigh. Ginny was quite weary of hearing the same argument over and over again. It was always: you'll be in Slytherin. No I won't. Same old, same old. It was tiring and beginning to get irritating.

"I only said he might be," said James, grinning at his younger brother. "There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slytherin." However James caught his mother's eye and fell silent. Up ahead, James saw the barrier that would lead onto the platform. He looked at Albus, winked, then took the trolley from his mother and broke into a run.

"James Sirius Potter!" Ginny scolded, "Slow down and wait for us!" James ignored his mother's calls and continued to race toward the barrier. From behind him, he heard his father say:

"Oh, let him go ahead," Harry said, "He knows what he's doing." That's right! I know what I'm doing! James thought. James realized he's slowed down to a sort of skip.

"Oh, all right," Ginny said, then to James, "But if you find your cousins, go to them! I'm sure Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione are already on the platform!"

James nodded, and quickened his pace again, as he saw the barrier and headed toward it. He looked around to make sure that no Muggles were watching, then took the last few steps toward his destination. He and his cart then went through the barrier, and onto Platform 9 ¾. He headed across the platform, over to a group of carts full of trunks and cages. A man was putting the trunks onto the train.

"Just leave it here, sonny," the man said. "I'll get it on the train!"

James nodded and pushed the cart beside the others. He then walked off down the platform. He looked around for members of his extended family.

Albus frowned as he watched James disappear through the barrier between Platform Nine and Ten. His heart was slowly sinking. He had been through this process of going through the barrier once before when he saw James off the previous year, but now it felt like that never happened. He felt like this was his very first time going through the barrier. It was a pretty scary experience!

"You'll write to me, won't you?" Albus asked his parents immediately, capitalizing on the momentary absence of his brother.

"Every day, if you want us to," said Ginny.

"Not every day," said Albus quickly, a strange tone in his voice, "James says most people only get letters from home about once a month."

"We wrote to James three times a week last year," said Ginny dryly. Albus let a little smile spread across his lips. The thought of James writing desperately to Harry and Ginny last year somehow amused him.

"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts," Harry put in. "He likes a laugh, your brother. He's like Uncle Ron that way… or maybe Uncle George…" Ginny snorted at Harry's indecision. Albus nodded. It was true. James would do anything to get a laugh. He looked back at the barrier... any moment now.

"We'll go together," Harry said, putting a hand on Albus' shoulder. Albus was suddenly relieved. The idea of going through the barrier without someone was scary. He was glad for the fact Harry was there.

Albus nodded again. Side by side, they pushed his second trolley forward, gathering speed. As they reached the barrier, Albus winced, and he could hear his owl, Sol, hoot softly, but no collision came. They emerged onto platform nine and three-quarters, which was obscured by thick white steam that was pouring from the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Indistinct figures were swarming through the mist. Behind him, Albus heard his mother and sister appear, and the four of them started walking down the platform. Albus felt relieved.

"Where are they?" asked Albus anxiously, peering at the hazy forms they passed as they made their way down the platform.

"We'll find them," said Ginny reassuringly. They're extended family should already be on the platform. But the vapor was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's faces. Detached from their owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud.

"I think that's them, Al," said Ginny suddenly. She pointed a finger.

A group of four people emerged from the mist, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Albus and his family came right up to them.

"Hi," said Albus, sounding immensely relieved.

Rose beamed at Albus, and he smiled back at her. As her parents talked to Albus' parents, Rose went over to Albus. She had reddish brown hair that had the same bushiness of her mother's. Her eyes were the same color as her father's.

"You ready?" Rose asked.

"I think so," Albus said, softly.

"You sound pretty nervous," Rose said.

"I am," Albus said, nodding.

"Want to know a secret?" Rose asked.

Albus looked at his cousin, slightly confused. He slowly nodded again.

"I'm nervous too," Rose said. It didn't show. Rose looked confident like always. Her eyes were bright, and her constantly slightly condescending expression was plastered on her face like always. Albus grinned. Knowing that his cousin was nervous as well, and that he wasn't the only one, made Al feel much better. Nearby, he could hear Lily and Hugo talking to each other about Hogwarts.

"I can't wait to go!" Hugo said, "I'm going to the best Gryffindor Keeper since Dad!"

"You," Lily said, giggling, "Nah, you'll probably end up in Hufflepuff." Albus could almost see Hugo's crestfallen face. He felt slightly sorry for the guy. Then again…

"Ugh," Albus said, "That would be worse than Slytherin." His sister and cousin talking about houses had brought back the sharp idea that Albus might be in Slytherin.

"Hufflepuff isn't that bad," Rose said. "Some great wizards and witches of our time have come from Hufflepuff. Besides, the attributes of a Hufflepuff are hard work, patience, loyalty, and fair play!"

"Then you join it," Albus muttered under his breath.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," said Ron, emerging from the train with Harry, where they had just placed Albus' trunk on, "but no pressure."

"Ron!" Hermione said, in the same scolding voice she'd use for her children. Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus and Rose looked at each other solemnly. It seemed like the mood of everything was solemn. Albus looked up at his father, who was looking past them. Albus turned to look, as did Rose.

For a moment, the steam parted. Albus saw a man and a woman, both with pale blonde hair, talking to a boy with pale blonde hair. "So that's little Scorpius," said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Hermione, half stern, half amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."

"Scorpius?" Albus scoffed quietly, "What kind of name is that?"

"I think it's kind of cute," Rose whispered, so her father wouldn't hear. Albus raised an eyebrow at his cousin, but before he could say anything he was interrupted.

"Hey!" James said, as he appeared through the mist. James seemed excited. Albus rolled his eyes. What could his brother be so excited about now? Maybe he'd come back to tease Albus about being in Slytherin… again!

"Teddy's back there," he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. "Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? Snogging Victoire!" He gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed by the lack of reaction. Albus frowned.

"Uh…" He started, but James interrupted him.

"Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing -" James said, but Ginny interrupted him.

"You interrupted them?" said Ginny. "You are so like Ron -"

"- and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's snogging her!" James added as though worried he had not made himself clear.

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!" whispered Lily ecstatically. "Teddy would really be part of the family then!" She looked at Hugo, who was nodding a little bit, like he liked the idea.

"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," said Harry "Why don't we just invite him to live with is and have done with it?"

"Yeah!" said James enthusiastically. "I don't mind sharing with Al -Teddy could have my room!"

"No," said Harry firmly, "you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished."

"That'll probably be the result." Lily whirled. Lucy Weasly, their cousin, was standing in her pleated skirt and white blouse. She looked like she was one of the Hogwarts students, even though she was two years too young. Her jaw line cut red hair was billowing around her, and her glasses were sliding down her nose a bit far.

"Hullo Lu." Lily said. "Hugo and I have been looking for you." Indeed, Lily had been scanning the surroundings for Lucy. She, Lucy and Hugo were all the same close, and all very close. They would be going to Hogwarts the same time.

"It's nearly eleven," Harry said, checking his watch, "you'd better get on board."

"Don't forget to give Neville our love!" Ginny told James as she hugged him.

"Mum! I can't give a professor love!" James said, trying to pull away.

"But you know Neville-" Ginny said.

James rolled his eyes. "Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he?" James said, "I can't walk into Herbology and give him love…" Shaking his head at his mother's foolishness, he vented his feelings by aiming a kick at Albus. Albus scowled.

"See you later, Al," James said, grinning, "Watch out for the thestrals."

"I thought they were invisible?" Albus said, "You said they were invisible!"

But James merely laughed, permitted his mother to kiss him, gave his father a fleeting hug, then leapt onto the rapidly filling train. They saw him wave, then sprint away up the corridor to find his friends. Harry walked over to Albus.

"Thestrals are nothing to worry about," he told Albus. "They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats." Ginny kissed Albus good-bye.

"See you at Christmas." she said.

"Bye, Al," said Harry as his son hugged him. "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone till you're learned how. And don't let James wind you up."Albus sighed as he looked at his father. They were probably fairly good words of wisdom.

"What if I'm in Slytherin?" Albus whispered to him.

Harry crouched down, and Albus looked at him, so his eyes were level with Al's.

"Albus Severus," Harry said quietly, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." The only person who was close enough to hear was Ginny, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to Rose.

"But just say-" Albus began.

"-then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it?" Harry said, "It doesn't matter to us, Al. But if it matter to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."

"Really?" Albus asked, smiling.

"It did for me," said Harry. Albus's eyes widened. His father had never told him that. His own father had chosen his house for himself? The idea seems strange, but not entirely impossible.

Doors started slamming all along the train. Rose, who had already said her goodbyes to her parents and brother, had stuck her head out of a window in a carriage room.

"Al, come on!" she said, "Don't want the train to leave without you, do you?!"

Albus smiled and hugged his father, then his mother again. He looked at his sister, and she hugged him, tears going down her face. "See you at Christmas, Lily," he said, "I'll bring back something for you."

"I'm going to miss you." Lily sniffed. She squeezed Albus until he was sure that his ribs were going to crack, and then went back to stand with Lucy and Hugo. Lucy had tears in her eyes, and Hugo was glaring at the ground.

Albus jumped onto the train, and found the compartment Rose was in. He looked out the window, and saw students doing the same, all looking at his parents.

"Why are they all staring?!" Albus demanded.

"Don't let it worry you," said Ron. "It's me, I'm extremely famous." Albus, Rose, Hugo, Lucy and Lily laughed. The train started to move, and Albus saw his father walking along the train as it moved away from their family. Lily took off running, chasing the quickly speeding up train.

"Bye!" Albus said, his voice barely hearable over the wind that was blowing through the window.

"See you at Christmas!" Rose said, "Love you!" Harry said something, but Albus couldn't hear it over the sound of the other families saying goodbye, and the noise that the Hogwarts Express was making.

Ginny, Hermione and Lily all had tears in their eyes as they waved. Albus smiled as he and Rose waved at them, Harry, Ron, Lucy and Hugo. Lily continued to run after the train, chasing and waving. Soon, the train left the platform, and started off down the track and Albus could no longer see his family. He sighed and sat down in a seat. His life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was now beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

Two

The Train Ride and The Sorting

Presently, Rose left the compartment, leaving Albus sitting alone. He watched London speed by, and soon he was watching farm fields rushing past. Would he be in Slytherin? What is he was? What would happen then? He didn't notice when the compartment door slide open. A boy with pale blonde hair and ice blue eyes was standing there.

"Excuse me, may I sit here? Everywhere else is full." The boy asked. Albus was so absorbed in his thoughts that he jumped when he heard the voice. He whirled. As soon as he saw the boy, he recognized him as the boy he'd seen on the train station, Scorpius Malfoy.

"Uh… yes." Albus said, making a split second decision. It wasn't like he wasn't supposed to talk to Scorpius. It was Uncle Ron who still had a problem with the Malfoys. Harry and Ginny had long since made peace with Draco Malfoy. Why shouldn't Albus talk to Scorpius? Maybe even make friends with the bloke?

"Good. I was thinking that I might have to sit with… yeah. Thanks." Scorpius said sounding relieved.

"No problem. Don't mention it." Albus said, and looked down at his hands, which were folding in his lap. Scorpius sat down.

"Sorry about startling you earlier," Scorpius said, biting his lip. "I'm not very good at alerting people of my presence."

"Don't worry about it." Albus said. "I'm used to being scared. My brother James likes pulling pranks. He never gives it a rest." Scorpius grinned.

"James Potter, right? You must be Albus. Dad talks a lot about how your father saved his life." Scorpius said. Albus glanced out the window.

"Yep. That'd be me. Albus Potter. I know you too. You're Scorpius Malfoy. I saw you on the Platform." Albus said. Scorpius frowned a little bit, and looked out the window too. He watched as the green fields rushed past for a few moments and fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Are you excited?" Albus finally asked to break the awkward silence. For some reason, Albus could feel tension in the air. He wondered if Scorpius felt obligated to hate him.

"Huh?" Scorpius started, looking at Al.

"Are you excited? Going to Hogwarts?" Albus asked, making his question clear. Scorpius chuckled, and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess… in short, I am excited… but there's a lot of pressure for me to get into Slytherin. Mm says that it doesn't matter what house I am in, and Dad pretends to agree with her. I think he half does. _But_ Gramps says that I have to get into Slytherin, because we've always been in that house." He said.

"Oh." Albus said. "On the other hand, I have pressure to get into Gryffindor. It's sort of nerve wracking."

"Tell me about it." Scorpius grumbled. Albus laughed.

"Yeah." He agreed. "You have to get into Gryffindor – or we'll disown you! That's what Uncle Ron said before we left the station. That doesn't put pressure on me and Rose at all!" Albus muttered sarcastically. Scorpius frowned.

"Rose?" he asked. Albus looked down and his hands, and drummed his fingers on his knees.

"Yeah. She's my cousin. Ron Weasly's daughter." Albus said.

"_Oh_." Scorpius said. "The one who was heading down the hall as I was heading up. She was ranting about some guy named Louis not understanding the subtle details of what happens at Hogwarts." Albus snorted. Yep, that was Rose for sure.

"That's her." Albus said. "Louis is also my cousin. He's the son of Bill Weasly. Rose can't stand him. She thinks he's arrogant. If only she knew _she_ was arrogant." Albus muttered the last part under his breath so that Scorpius wouldn't hear. Scorpius looked at Albus funny.

"Is she a first year?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Then how can she complain that this Louis guy doesn't know anything about Hogwarts? He isn't a first year, is he?" Scorpius asked.

"We don't know." Albus said. "We think that she's just likes complaining. And no, Louis is a third year, not a first year."

"Why does she like complaining?" Scorpius asked.

"We don't know that either."

"Whose we?" Scorpius questioned.

"Everyone who knows Rose." Albus stated. Scorpius cracked up, soon was flat out on the bench seat of the compartment laughing. His face was turning red. Albus surveyed him for a long minute. Maybe Scorpius wasn't so bad after all. He seemed just like all other eleven year old boys. He couldn't be that bad, could he?

"So, your cousin in bossy?" Scorpius finally asked after he sat up and composed himself. Albus snorted.

"That's an understatement. She's bossy and arrogant." He informed Scorpius. Scorpius raised one eyebrow.

"But she seemed so… nice… while she was ranting." Malfoy said in an odd tone. Albus sighed, and looked at Scorpius.

"She may look nice, but she isn't. At least, not all the time." Albus said. "She's really arrogant about how much more intelligent than everyone else. I bet I'll meet someone smarter than her at Hogwarts, and Rose won't be happy."

"I won't be happy about what?" Albus and Scorpius whirled towards to door of the compartment, where Rose was standing. She was already decked out in her Hogwarts robes, and was watching the two of them closely.

"How long have you been standing there, Rose?" Albus asked.

"Only a second or two. I thought that I'd come back and sit with you." Rose said, walking in and sitting down. Albus noted that she didn't even ask if she could. Scorpius watched her. Once Rose had settled in, she turned to Scorpius.

"I'm Rose Weasly, but the way. I'm Broom Boy's cousin." Rose said. She held out her hand, and Scorpius gave it an uncertain shake.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy." Scorpius said.

"I know." Rose said cheerily. Scorpius cleared his throat a little bit. He looked like he was trying to swallow a golf ball.

"Why did you just call Albus Broom Boy?" Scorpius asked.

"Oh. He's been training to try out for quidditch. He wants to be seeker. He should know that you can't try out for quidditch until second year, but… ah well." Rose said briskly. "He's never without his broom. He has Firebolt 2000, you know."

"Ugh. Don't brag, Rose." Albus said, burying his head in his hands. Rose rolled her eyes and ignored Albus.

"Do you have an interest in quidditch, Scorpius?" Rose asked. Scorpius took a minute to answer.

"I want to be a beater." He finally said. Rose smiled.

"Then it's decided." She said very firmly. Albus looked up and frowned.

"What's decided?" he and Scorpius asked in unison. Rose snorted and tossed her head, causing her frizzy reddish brown hair to ripple around her head like a wave. Scorpius eyed her oddly, scanning her from head to toe.

"Well, we're going to be in the same house. At least, Al and I will be. We're going to be in Gryffindor, because Broom Boy is brave and I have chivalry on my side." Rose said. Scorpius let one of his eyebrows rise up on his forehead.

"Yes. Certainly." Albus said quickly. Rose nodded, and continued with what she had previously been saying. While she was talking, Albus motioned for Scorpius to be quiet.

"Well, I think you're going to be in Gryffindor too, because you look brave. Next year, we'll try out for the Gryffindor quidditch team. You'll be beater, I'll be chaser, and Broom Boy will be seeker." Rose said. Albus nodded, going along with the idea.

"Okay, okay. I get it. It will be good." Albus said, trying to change the direction the conversation was quickly going. Rose was going to start talking about the usual Potter-Weasly quidditch game.

"Yes. Scorpius can come over and play for the Potter-Weasly quidditch game. He can take Victoire's place, because she's going off to college." Rose said. Albus almost groaned, because he knew that Scorpius would want to ask what Rose was talking about.

"Not to mention she's probably getting married soon." Albus grumbled, in one final, desperate attempt to change the subject of the conversation.

"Excuse me?" Scorpius asked. "Who? What?"

"My cousin Victoire. She was caught snogging Teddy Lupin earlier today." Albus said. "Lily, my younger sister, thinks it would be lovely if they get married."

"How many cousins do you have?" Scorpius asked, staring at Albus and Rose.

"A lot." Albus said, just as Rose interrupted him.

"Well, there's Victoire, Dominique and Louis, who are the children of Bill Weasly. Then there's George Weasly, who has Fred and Roxanne. Of course there are Percy Weasly's daughters Lucy and Molly too! And then there's me, and my brother Hugo. And of course Ginny married Harry Potter. They had Albus, James and Lily. Is that all of them?" Rose asked looking pointedly at Albus. Albus shrugged, and stared out the window. He felt like he was being pushed out of the conversation. Rose suddenly stood up.

"Well, sorry." Rose said briskly. "I have to be going. I promised my new friends that I'd only stop and talk for a bit." And with that Rose left, leaving Scorpius gaping. As she closed the compartment door, a charcoal grey kitten leaped into the compartment and up onto the seat. He curled up.

"And that's Rose?" Scorpius asked after a few moments of silence in the compartment.

"And that's Rose." Albus confirmed grimly. Suddenly, the compartment door slid open again, and a girl with red hair poked her head in.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but have you seen my cat Cinder? He hates his kennel and ran out on me." The girl asked. Albus looked at the cat on the seat and motioned to him.

"Is this Cinder?" he asked, standing up to give the girl a clear view.

"Yes. Thanks." The girl said. She entered fully into the compartment and picked Cinder, the grey kitten up off of the seat. She glared at him. "Cinder, you shouldn't run off like that!" she said. "Thanks again." And with that, the girl left. Scorpius watched her go.

"Did you see her hair?" he asked.

"What? No, I wasn't paying attention to her hair." Albus said. Scorpius sighed.

"It was changing color just slightly." Scorpius said. "I bet you ten knuts that she's a metamorphmagus." Albus rolled his eyes.

"It was probably just the light, Scorpius!" he said. Scorpius narrowed his eyes.

"It was becoming green, Albus." He said dryly. Albus sighed.

"Fine. Maybe you need to find her and ask her if she's a metamorphmagus." Albus said. Scorpius and Albus began to talk. They weren't bothered by Rose again, and for the rest of the trip to Hogwarts, they talked and talked. It was comfortable and nice, and Albus was pretty sure that he had made his first friend – even if it was Scorpius Malfoy.

When they arrived at the train station, Rose joined them again. Albus could almost hear Scorpius groan when he sat Rose walking up. She linked one arm with Albus and one with Scorpius, and marched through the crowd.

"Firs' years this way! Firs' years this way!" A giant of a man, which Albus knew was shouting. He walked forward to greet his old friend Hagrid. Hagrid looked down and saw Albus.

"'Lo there Albus. 'Lo there Rose. And…" Hagrid trailed off. "Blimey, if it isn't Malfoy!" He said.

"Hello Hagrid." Albus said. "What do we need to do to help you?" Albus said before Rose could open her mouth. Rose glared at Albus, but Albus kept his eyes on Hagrid.

"Righ' now ye can ge' in the boats! I'll be comin' o'er there in a minute." Hagrid said, motioning across the station to the docks. Albus could barely see them in the dark. "An' remember only two people to a boat." Hagrid said. Albus looked at Scorpius and then nodded at Hagrid.

"Okay. Thanks, Hagrid." He said. He untangled his arm from Rose's, and headed for the boats. Scorpius followed, leaving Rose still getting over the fact that she had been interrupted.

When Albus arrived at the boats, he carefully sat down in one. There was only water below him now, and Albus felt nervous. He had always been afraid of boating… Scorpius sat down next to him, and shook his head in bewilderment.

"Is Rose always like this?" he asked. "Pretty much." Albus said.

It was nearly a half hour later when the boats took off towards to Castle. Albus could see it on the other side of the lake, and the sight took his breath away. He could hear Rose in the boat next to them, loudly whispering to the metamorphmagus girl. She no longer had her cat, Cinder, and her hands were on the sides of the boat. She looked like she was gritting her teeth. Rose kept going on and on about how Hogwarts was enchanted. Albus caught a snippet of their conversation. It was about the founders.

"All four founders designed the castle." Rose said. The metamorphmagus girl cleared her throat, trying to get a word in edgewise.

"Wrong." She said. "It was actually only Rowena Ravenclaw who designed the castle. It was designed to be ever changing. It would never stay the same." Rose looked at her.

"No…?" But Rose didn't sound certain.

"Yes. Now, the Founders helped _build_ the castle, and they designed the theory of Hogwarts _but _it was Ravenclaw who designed the actual castle." The metamorphmagus said.

"But…" Rose said. The metamorphmagus girl suddenly said:

"Hey! We're docking!" It was true, they were docking. Albus got out of the boats. His prediction had come true. Rose had met someone that was smarter than her. Albus felt an odd sense of satisfaction. Sure, Rose was Albus's cousin, and he loved her, but sometimes he got fed up with her. He hated her know-it-all demeanor.

Albus and Scorpius waited in the Entrance Hall to be called into the Great Hall. Albus imagined what it looked like inside. He couldn't. Scorpius looked nervous.

"Are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick." Albus and Scorpius whirled around. It was the metamorphmagus girl. Albus thought about being blunt with her and asking if she was a metamorphmagus, but decided better of it.

"Yeah. I think I am." Albus said. The metamorphmagus girl smiled.

"That's good. I wouldn't want someone throwing up during the Sorting Ceremony." She said.

"I heard you talking to Rose, on the boats." Scorpius said. "You know, you're right about Rowena Ravenclaw designing the castle." The Metamorphmagus girl blushed a little bit. Was it Albus's imagination, or did her hair have a light pink tint to it? The girl let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, good. I was pretty sure I was right but…" she trailed off. "Do you know that girl?" she suddenly asked.

"Yeah. Rose is my cousin." Albus said grimly. The metamorphmagus let out a nervous little laugh. Now she was the one who looked like she was going to be sick. The doors to the Great Hall suddenly opened, and Professor Longbottom slipped through. He smiled at the first years.

"Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts. You are about to Enter the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your houses. There are four houses. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. While at Hogwarts, your house is like your family. Good deeds – like answering questions correctly in class – will earn your house points, where as bad deeds will lose your house points. The house with the most points at the end of the year will be award the House Cup." Professor Longbottom explained. "Now, without further ado, welcome." The doors to the Great Hall swung inward, and the first years stepped inside.

Albus was stunned. There were four long tables filled with students. There was a table at the head of it all, which Albus assumed was the staff table. There were candles floating in the air and the ceiling was enchanted to look like the starry night sky.

"This is amazing." Scorpius whispered to Albus.

"Yes." Albus responded. He was almost too stunned to breathe or walk. Everything he saw was so incredible. He stumbled forward, between two tables, with the other first years. All of them seemed to be in similar amounts of shock. There was an old moldy hat sitting on stool at the head of the Great Hall. Behind that, Professor McGonagall, a severe looking woman, was sitting in a high backed seat. The first years stopped in front of the Sorting Hat and stared at it. One of them said:

"That's a hat. What's a mangy old hat going to do?"

Then, a rip at the brim of the Sorting Hat opened, and it burst into song.

_Many, many years ago, _

_When I was newly sewn, _

_There were four founders, _

_Who each made a house their own, _

_There was Gryffindor, home of the brave,_

_There was Hufflepuff, who always worked so hard, _

_There was Ravenclaw, who knowledge was of all,_

_And Slytherin, who liked to play the final card,_

_And these were the four founders, _

_Who brought about this school, _

_To teach their students, _

_To make sure they were not fools._

When the Sorting Hat finished it's song, Professor Longbottom whipped out a scroll from his sleeve and glanced down at it. Then he began to read off names. "Annki, Adele." Was the first name on the list. A girl walked up and sat down on the stool. The Hat was placed on her head.

"Slytherin!"

The names continued until Albus heard Professor Longbottom call:

"Kemmington, Amelia-Jane."

The metamorphmagus girl walked up to the stool and sat down. She closed her eyes as the Hat was placed on her head. Her lips were moving, but Albus couldn't read what she was saying. There was a long silence, almost too long. That was when it happened. Miss Kemmington's hair began to change. It was quickly becoming shorter and brilliant emerald green. She looked like she was going to be sick. Murmurs ran through the crowd.

"You owe me ten knuts." Scorpius said as he watched the girl's hair go green. Albus shook his head.

"I never took you up on that bet." He said. But it was confirmed. This girl, Amelia-Jane Kemmington, was a metamorphmagus. The Hat suddenly yelled:

"Ravenclaw!"

Everyone was so busy gossiping about how she was a metamorphmagus; the Ravenclaws were the only ones who remembered to cheer. More names passed. Albus didn't pay much attention until:

"Malfoy, Scorpius."

Scorpius grinned, and walked up to the steps. He sat down, but kept his eyes open. He took a nice long breath.

"_Ah, Mr. Malfoy. You have wit… you are original and you are very individual. These are the traits of…_" the Hat said. "Ravenclaw!" Scorpius stood up, and headed to the Ravenclaw table. He grinned at Albus as he passed, but he felt fear in his stomach. He wasn't in Slytherin! He sat down next to the metamorphmagus, Amelia-Jane Kemmington. She was deep in conversation with a girl that Scorpius didn't know. Meanwhile, the Sorting Ceremony was continuing.

Finally, Professor Longbottom called:

"Potter, Albus."

Albus headed up and sat down on the stool. He squeezed his eyes shut. That was when he heard the Sorting Hat's voice.

"_Ah. Mr. Potter. I've been waiting for you. I know that you don't want to be in Slytherin, that much is obvious. But… do you have nerve? Yes. What about loyalty? Yes. But you also have intelligence. You are original, and you are wise… in your own way. You're competitive too. So… better be…_" The Hat said. There was a long pause. Albus was pretty sure that he was going to be sick. The Sorting Hat had to announce which house he was going to be.

"Please, not Slytherin. Please, not Slytherin." Albus said under his breath.

"_Not Slytherin? No, I wasn't planning to put you in Slytherin. I was planning to put you in… _Ravenclaw!" Albus opened his eyes, and looked at Scorpius. He was sitting next to Amelia-Jane Kemmington and Albus's cousin, Molly Weasly. She was also a Ravenclaw. Albus rushed over to them and sat down. Amelia-Jane smiled at him.

"Hello again." She said. "I seem to be bumping into all the time today." She said.

"Yeah." Albus said. "Amelia-Jane, right?" Amelia-Jane made a sort of face.

"A.J., please." She said. Albus grinned.

"Okay, A.J." Albus agreed. They began to talk, but then Molly made a little eeping sound. She grabbed into A.J.'s shoulders and stared fixedly at the Sorting Hat.

"Rose." She squeaked. Indeed, Rose was going up to get Sorted. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head and… almost instantly it yelled:

"Hufflepuff!" Rose hopped off the stool, and skipped down to the Hufflepuff table. Albus sat back and stared at Rose. So she'd gotten into Hufflepuff. And he'd gotten into Ravenclaw. Did that mean he was smarter than her?


	3. Chapter 3

Three

Classes

The Ravenclaw tower was a circler room, airier than any other room at Hogwarts. Graceful arched windows punctured that walls which were hung with blue and bronze silks. By day, they would have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which echoed the midnight blue carpet. There were tables, chairs and bookcases, and in a niche opposite the door stood a tall statue of white marble. It was Rowena Ravenclaw. There were doors on either side of the room, probably leading to the dormitories.

Albus stared blankly at the room. This was going to be where he belonged! This was Ravenclaw Tower! His head was buzzing. How could he have been sorted into Ravenclaw over Hufflepuff or Slytherin or something? Or even Gryffindor? And Rose had been sorted into Hufflepuff! It felt incredible, but it was also sort of nerve wracking. How could he be smarter than Rose? Rose was smarter than everyone!

"Okay," said the female Ravenclaw Prefect, Penny Ashatoka. She clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. "Girl's dormitories are on the right, boys are on the left. You'll find your names on the doors. That would be your dormitory. You will find your things already there."

"You'll get your schedule tomorrow morning at breakfast." Said the male Ravenclaw Prefect, Xavier Jarvis. "But now, I suggest you get some sleep."

Almost in a daze, Albus and Scorpius headed up the stairs and arrived at their dormitory. They were sharing it with four other boys. There was Adam Morrison, Cal Montague and Lysander Schemander. Lysander's twin brother, Lorcan was also in the dormitory.

"I suspect that we'll have a long day tomorrow. I'm going to bed." Adam said, after they'd gone through all their introductions. Albus already knew Lysander and Lorcan. They were like second cousins. Their mother, Auntie Luna, was the new Astronomy Teacher at Hogwarts, since the old professor retired. She preferred to be called Professor Lovegood, since that was her maiden name. Albus nodded and rubbed his eyes. He'd eaten himself full, and talked all through dinner with A.J., Scorpius and Molly.

He was more than happy to crawl into bed and fall asleep.

The next morning, awoke feeling overjoyed and happy. He was at Hogwarts! He was finally there! And he wasn't in Slytherin! That was possibly the best part. He'd proven James wrong and beaten Rose. Rose! Albus suddenly sat up in his bed. He'd have to seek her out and ask her how she liked Hufflepuff.

"Good morning." Scorpius yawned. He was sitting up in his own bed, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Albus grinned.

"Good morning, Scorp." He said. "Are you unhappy you got into Ravenclaw not Slytherin?" he asked.

"No. I never wanted to be in Slytherin! It was all my grandfather's idea, not mine! I can't wait to tell Mum and Dad! They've probably sent me a letter to demand me to tell them." Scorpius said. Albus grunted.

"Mine too." He said.

"What about Rose? Do you think that she likes Hufflepuff?" Scorpius asked.

"I don't know. I was sort of just proved smarter than her… She won't like that." Albus said. "But just in case we see her today, don't rub salt in the wound, okay?"

"Sure thing, Al." Scorpius said. The two boys got up and got dressed in their Hogwarts robes. Albus had to have Scorpius show him how to tie his tie.

"I wonder if we'll take to A.J. today." Scorpius said.

"Oh, do you like her?" Albus cooed. Scorpius groaned and rolled his eyes.

"No. She's just really sweet, with a sort of sarcastic side." He said. Albus nodded. It was true. The metamorphmagus has a sense of humor, that was for sure.

"Let's go." Albus said. "We should go to breakfast so we're not late for classes."

"Good point." Scorpius said. Both of them took their bags, filled with books, parchment, wands, quills, and ink, and headed down into the Ravenclaw Common Room. To their surprise, A.J. was waiting for him. She had short, pixie cut blonde hair today with a turquoise blue streak in the front. Her eyes were crystal blue. Albus would have never guessed it was her except for the fact her face was exactly the same. She was reading a book calmly by the window. She looked up as Albus and Scorpius came down the stairs.

"Good. I thought you'd stay up there forever. I've been up since six waiting for you." A.J. said.

"Uh… sorry?" Albus said. It for sort of a question, sort of a statement. Albus wanted to smack himself on the head. _Why in the world had he gotten into Ravenclaw again?_ A.J. got to her feet and tucked her book into her bag. She smiled at the two boys.

"Well, come on them. I'm starving. Let's go down and have breakfast." She linked arms with both of them, like Rose had done the night before. Strangely, Albus found A.J.'s style more comfortable. She didn't drag Albus and Scorpius along behind her.

"I barely recognized you, A.J." Scorpius said as they walked out of Ravenclaw Tower. "You'll have to leave your eyes the same, or something, so that I can recognize you!" A.J. thought about this for a minute.

"Well, first of all, I am sorry. Now that everyone knows I'm a metamorphmagus, I guess I shouldn't hide it. How about this, I'll leave my eyes the same green they've always been?" Albus and Scorpius had to shift to see her face, because A.J. kept looking straight ahead. Her eyes suddenly shifted back to the green they had been yesterday. Suddenly looked much more like A.J. and less like someone else. But somehow, Albus could almost sense it was her. She had a sort of calm presence around her.

"That's… incredible." Scorpius said as he watched her eyes shift from blue to green. A.J. looked at the ground and blushed.

"Well, I've been practicing. But I can't always… I can't always control it. Like at the Sorting Ceremony." A.J. explained. "Being a metamorphmagus isn't easy, especially when you want to be part of muggle society."

"Why would you ever want to do that?" Scorpius asked. Albus and A.J. laughed. Albus shook his head in bewilderment.

"Why wouldn't you? Muggles are actually pretty cool." Albus said. Scorpius shook his head.

"Sorry. Maybe that was my pureblood side talking." Scorpius said. A bit of color flushed across his cheeks. Albus smiled.

"It's fine." Albus said. A.J. looked at the ground, and nodded halfheartedly.

They arrived at the Great Hall just in time for Professor Longbottom to shove their schedules into their hands. He smiled at Albus.

"Hello, Albus. Glad to see you made it into a decent house. Here is your schedule. Ah, Amelia-Jane and Scorpius. Here are yours. I'll see you three in Herbology." Professor Longbottom said, and rushed off to deliver more schedules. Albus, Scorpius and A.J. made their way to the Ravenclaw table. They found three empty seats and sat down.

"It's so incredible to be here." A.J. said. "The thing is, Mum was betting on me getting into Gryffindor because of… well, let's say I've got some nerve and I speak out a lot. But I'm not brave. Dad was thinking Slytherin all the way. He says I'm resourceful and cunning. Me, I was betting on Hufflepuff. I've been told I'm very loyal. But… I got into Ravenclaw." A.J. said, smiling.

"Well, my brother thought I was going to be in Sytherin." Albus said. "I was hoping for Gryffindor." He glanced down at his schedule. "Ugh. We've got Potions first. Not that I don't like Professor Slughorn but… well, I don't like Potions. James was telling me all about it and I've decided I hate it. Let's finish our breakfast and head for the dungeons." Albus said with a sigh. A.J. looked at her schedule.

"But then we've got… Defense Against the Dark Arts! That should be fun. Dad said that it always was fun when your teacher wasn't trying to kill them. This teacher should be sane, though. He's an old man named Dobifer Kirke." A.J. said. "And Potions can't be that bad. You've never done it before." She said in a singsong voice. Albus crossed his arms.

"I just know I'm going to hate it." He said.

As a matter of fact, Albus _did_ hate Potions. As soon as he stepped into the dungeon, Professor Slughorn descended on him, A.J. and Scorpius like a hawk.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy!" Slughorn said, completely ignoring A.J. She probably didn't have famous parents. "So good to see both of you finally friends! Your families have made peace, I assume. Good, good. And you… Ms. Kemmington!" Slughorn turned to A.J., who was frowning at the room around her. She jumped when Slughorn said her name.

"Hm? Yes?" she asked.

"Well, I've been expecting the Kemmington girl to come into my classroom for some time. Muggle mother, quidditch star father. Metamorphmagus! You're going to be the greatest witch of this age. And you two boys can be the greatest wizards." Slughorn said, waving his hands. "Now, I have to go and prepare the lesson so that when everyone arrives we can begin." With that, he swept away, leaving the three of them gaping.

"Um…" A.J. said, tucking some of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"You're dad's a quidditch star?" Albus asked.

"Not really. He just likes to say he is. He's on a professional team and everything. He's a beater, but that team has never made it to the Quidditch World Cup. Besides, who remembers beaters?" A.J. said.

"But he is a professional player, right?" Scorpius asked.

"Yep." A.J. said crisply.

"That's so cool!" Scorpius said. "My dad just works for the Ministry." A.J. pursed her lips a bit as they sat down at a desk. She chose to pair off with Wendaline, or Wendy, Jamrik. Wendy was a smiley blonde girl. Albus and Scorpius got to work together.

"I wonder why she's so… like that about her Mr. Kemmington playing professionally." Albus asked Scorpius as he got a scroll of parchment out.

"I dunno. Maybe you should avoid bringing it up though." Scorpius spoke, watching A.J. carefully as she chatted with Wendy.

As the Potion Class started, Albus disliked it immediately. It wasn't Slughorn. He was actually very encouraging and very nice. It was the class itself. Luckily though, Scorpius proved he had a natural affinity towards Potions. He managed to effectively complete the potion they were supposed to be making (a lightening potion), in half the time they were supposed to use. Slughorn had everyone clap for Scorpius and Albus for taking to Potions so quickly. A.J. and Wendy were the next to complete it, with a few others. Soon, Potions was over. But Albus still hated the class, no matter how well he had done.

"That was fun." Scorpius said a few minutes later after they walked out of Potions.

"No it wasn't." Albus snapped.

"Oh, come off it. You're not still on about how you hate Potions are you? It isn't that bad!" Scorpius said. A.J. caught up with them, and walked on Scorpius's other side.

"He still doesn't like Potions?" A.J. asked. She grinned. "Don't worry; I don't think Potions like you." Albus frowned.

"What?" he asked. A.J. cracked up, leaving Albus and Scorpius confused.

"Next we have Defense Against the Dark Arts!" A.J. said, pulling her schedule out of her bag. "We better hurry over there. Wendy told me that her older brother told her that Professor Kirke doesn't like it when people are late."

"Good to know." Albus said. "But, I will never be on time."

"Well, join the club." A.J. said. "Neither have I. What about you Scorp?"

"Well, my grandfather insists that I am always on time, and so does Father. So yes, I am always on time." Scorpius said.

"Well, Mum is usually busy. And Da is never around to tell me that I need to be on time." A.J. said.

"Ah." Albus said.

When they arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom, they were greeted by the fact they would be having the class with the Slytherin first years. Potions had been with the Hufflepuffs. Albus, Scorpius and A.J. slipped inside and found seats near the back due to Scorpius's suggestion.

"Father used to work at the Ministry with Dobifer Kirke. He said that he spits." Scorpius explained. And so they sat in the back of the room to avoid getting spat on. The rest of the class filed in and sat down. They got out their text books and put them on their desks. That was when Dobifer Kirke entered the room. He was an old man with a grey beard that reached the floor. He had scraggly white hair and grey eyes. His skin was pale and wrinkly.

"Hello Class." Kirke said.

"Hello Professor." Everyone replied in a loud tone. Kirke smiled.

"I see you've been taught how to use proper educate. Good, that will save us a good deal of practicing. Please turn to page five and read the introduction and the first chapter. Then, we will discuss it." Kirke said. Slowly, A.J. raised her hand.

"But I've already read the entire book. I found it quite fascinating too! Learning about Redcaps was truly entertaining." A.J. said.

"Ah. You have? Would you be so kind to tell us what a Redcap is, Miss…?" Kirke studied A.J.

"Kemmington." A.J. provided.

"Ah. The metamorphmagus." Kirke said. A.J. cleared her throat as murmurs ran through the room.

"Redcap, also known as a _powrie_ or _dunter_, is a type of malevolent murderous dwarf, goblin, elf or fairy. They are said to inhabit ruined castles found along the border between England and Scotland. Redcaps are said to murder travelers who stray into their homes and dye their hats with their victims' blood." A.J. said. Kirke frowned a little.

"Tell me the traits of a kobold." Kirke said.

"Although usually invisible, a kobold can materialize in the form of an animal, fire, a human being, and a candle. The most common depictions of kobolds show them as humanlike figures the size of small children. Kobolds who live in human homes wear the clothing of peasants; those who live in mines are hunched and ugly; and kobolds who live on ships smoke pipes and wear sailor clothing." A.J. responded almost immediately.

"And Bluecaps?" Kirke demanded.

"A bluecap or blue cap is a mythical fairy or ghost. They inhabit mines and appear as small blue flames. If miners treat them with respect, the bluecaps lead them to rich deposits of minerals. Like knockers or kobolds, bluecaps can also forewarn miners of cave-ins." A.J. responded calmly.

"Hobgoblins?" Kirke was almost yelling. He had approached A.J. and was glaring pointedly at her now. He was probably frustrated someone knew more than he did.

"Hobgoblins seem to be small, hairy little men who—like their close relative, brownies—are often found within human dwellings, doing odd jobs around the house while the family is lost in sleep. Such chores are typically small deeds, like dusting and ironing. Often, the only compensation necessary in return for these was food. Attempts to give them clothing would often banish them forever. They are very similar to House Elves in this way, Professor." A.J. responded.

"It isn't fair for you to ask her so many questions." Albus blurted out. Kirke turned to Albus.

"Excuse me?" he asked. "I am the Professor."

"You should at least be giving her points for each answer that she has answered correctly." Albus said. He remembered reading something about that in Hogwarts: A History.

"Very well. Ten points for each correctly answered question, Miss Kemmington. Ten points from Ravenclaw for speaking out in class – Mr. Potter, yes I know you are. Also, detention. Do not speak until my class is done." Kirke said


	4. Chapter 4

Four

A New Enemy

"I can't believe that he gave you detention!" Scorpius said. "It's not logical!" They were sitting in the Great Hall eating lunch. A.J. was sitting next to Scorpius, writing a response to her mother's letter. She'd gotten it this morning, and was eagerly telling her Mum everything that she had done.

"Well," Albus said spreading his arms. "I don't think Kirke is in any way logical." Scorpius took a bite of his chicken, and glared up at the staff table. Kirke was sitting there, chatting with Professor Lovegood. She was biting her lip, like she really didn't want to be talking to Kirke in any way.

"It's all my fault. I should have just read the book and kept my big mouth shut." A.J. said, brushing some of her hair out of her face. After the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, her hair had turned its natural red again. Albus wondered how much her emotions had to do with it.

"No, it's not. I should have kept my mouth shut too. You obviously had it covered." Albus said.

"No way. Friends help each other out." A.J. exclaimed, setting her quill down on the table and scanning up and down it. She finally settled on eating some salad.

"And you gained us points." Scorpius pointed out. "Because of that we're currently in the lead!" Albus grinned.

"It's only the first day Scorp. And besides, it was A.J. who gained the points. I was the one who lost them. There's a ham sandwich over here if you want it, A.J." Albus said, motioning to a plate filled with ham sandwiches. A.J. shook her head.

"I'm gluten intolerant." A.J. said. "But thanks for asking."

"Interesting." Scorpius said.

"It's from my Mum. I found out maybe two years ago. I can't eat gluten without feeling really sick and getting really grumpy." A.J. said, grinning.

"That is interesting. You can eat it; it just makes you feel sick?" Albus said.

"Pretty much. I won't die or anything." A.J. said. "Uh-Oh." A.J. was looking past Albus's head. Albus turned around and saw Rose trotting over towards them. She'd just entered the Great Hall, and she was grinning widely.

"I've been looking for you to talk to you, Al." Rose said, giggling slightly. She waved to A.J. "Hi Amelia-Jane."

"Hi." A.J. said.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about getting into Ravenclaw!" Rose said. _Oh no_. Albus thought. Here it comes.

"And what about it?" Albus asked. Rose crossed her arms and sat down.

"You don't have to be touché about not getting into Gryffindor. At least you're not in Slytherin!" Rose said. "Dad would probably disown you if when he found out."

"Well, that's okay," Albus said. "He's only my Uncle." Rose swatted at Albus's arm. Then she caught sight of Scorpius and blushed a little bit.

"Hi, Scorpius." She said. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Uh… it's okay." Scorpius said. A.J. and Albus exchanged glances, but A.J. kept her mouth firmly shut. Albus wanted to say something, but didn't.

"Hi, Rose." Scorpius said after a long awkward silence. He shot Albus a: _Help me_! Look. Albus shrugged.

"How's Hufflepuff?" Albus finally forced out after another long pause of silence. Rose grinned, and her sense of arrogance returned.

"Oh, it's treating me very well! I love it there. So nice. Everyone's so sweet. You know, the Sorting Hat put me there because I am loyal and hardworking. I always have to work for something, considering I can't use magic outside of school." Rose said.

"And?" A.J. prompted. Then she clapped her hand over her mouth, realizing she'd been rude. Rose narrowed her eyes at A.J.

"There was no other reason. It actually said that I would fit well in all the houses. Ravenclaw for my brains…" Rose's ears turned a little red. Albus watched her ears. They always turned red when she was lying. Had the Sorting Hat even mentioned Ravenclaw to her? "And of course Slytherin because I'm ambitious. Then there's Gryffindor because… I'm spirited."

"You got that right." Albus mumbled under his breath. Rose heard him and blushed.

"Thanks Al. That's so sweet." Rose said. "I have to go my new friends are probably wondering where I am. Take care, I'll talk to you three later!" and with that she got up and hurried off.

"She's always like this." Albus said as A.J. ad Scorpius opened their mouth to ask if she was always like that. Of course, they both already knew the answer to that question.

Twenty minutes later, Albus finished his food, right about the same time that A.J. and Scorpius did. They were all ready to go to their next lesson. A.J. checked her schedule.

"It's free period next." She said.

"Cool." Scorpius said, and they exited the Great Hall. They went outside into the small courtyard before the grounds. There was an unoccupied bench, and the three of them sat down and settled in.

"This is really amazing, Hogwarts." Albus said. "By the way… A.J., where all of those creatures in the book? The Defense Against the Dark Arts book, that is?" A.J. grinned broadly at him.

"Of course not. They were from my Dad's old text books. That's why Kirke got so frustrated. He didn't expect me to have the answers. Then he could dock points." A.J. said. Scorpius said.

"That's genius, A.J." he said.

"Hey, I didn't even try. I'm naturally infuriating." A.J. said. Albus studied her.

"I can believe that." He said. A.J. looked offended, and swatted at both boys, annoyed.

"Well, excuse me!" She said.

"You're excused!" Scorpius chanted. "But if you don't mind me asking, what'd you do?" A.J. buried her face her hands and shook her head.

"Boys. They never cease to amaze me." She said.

"I have that tendency to do that – amaze people, that is." Albus said, continuing along with the act. Scorpius suddenly burst out laughing. A.J. sighed, and rolled her eyes.

"Like I said – boys. One minute, they'll be laughing, the next they'll be serious. So strange." A.J. said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You have no right to say that! Girls are so complicated." Scorpius said. "At least, that's what Father tells me!" A.J. crossed her arms.

"You can't exactly trust everything a father says. At least, not mine. He's a jokester." A.J. said.

"Well, so is Uncle Ron. And Uncle George. And… yeah that's it. Those are the only pranksters… Oh and Uncle Lee!" Albus said. Uncle Lee wasn't actually his real uncle. It was just a name that he had given to his Uncle George's old friend Lee Jordan. "I have to watch in my family too!"

"I don't. My family doesn't approve of pranksters." Scorpius said.

"You would not like James." Albus said.

"Huh?" Scorpius asked.

"Take my word for it." Albus said.

"Fair enough." Scorpius said. They looked at A.J., expecting her to say something, but she didn't. She was watching straight ahead. Someone was coming towards them. It was a first year boy with dark hair and pale skin. He was glaring at them. He arrived at the bench.

"Move." He commanded. Albus cleared his throat.

"Excuse me?" he asked. A.J would have brought through the reference of "_If you don't me asking, what'd you do_?" through, but now didn't seem like the time.

"Move." The boy grunted.

"Who are you?" Scorpius asked, frowning.

"Balthazar Belagmos." The boy snapped. "Now, move."

"Why?" A.J. asked. Albus watched her hands curl into fists. She looked like she wanted to sock this guy in the eye. He had barely even provoked her. Balthazar turned to A.J.

"Ah, the metamorphmagus. I want you to move. I want to sit there." Balthazar said clearly, putting emphasis on every word. Just then, a tall seventh year girl with identical dark hair pretty much materialized next to Balthazar.

"Balth." She scolded. "There are other benches."

"But I want to sit there." Balthazar said.

"Balth, there were here first. You should leave and find a different bench." The girl said.

"But Bathsheba!" Balthazar whined. "I want to sit here. I want to sit here! Now!" Bathsheba, who must've been Balthazar's older sister, looked at Albus, A.J. and Scorpius.

"Can you please move? Balth is a little spoiled." She said, looking at them sympathetically.

"Yeah, sure." Albus said, standing up. He helped A.J. to her feet. She bent over and grabbed her bag off the ground. Balthazar sat down, and grinned happily.

"You should have moved when I first asked you!" Balthazar complained at them. "I won't forget that you didn't." Bathsheba sighed.

"Yes you with, Balth." She said. Albus noted that she used Balthazar's nickname in every single sense that she spoke to him in. It was fascinating. Maybe the sound of his name calmed Balthazar.

"Well, you made two new friends and a new enemy all in the course of forty-eight hours, Al." Scorpius said. "Excellent going."


	5. Chapter 5

Five

Detention With Kirke

Albus groaned.

"What are you on about now?" A.J. asked. Her hair was sky blue, and had been all day – a sign she wasn't feeling exactly shipshape. They were sitting in the Ravenclaw Common Room, leaning up against the base of Rowena Ravenclaw's statue. The statue kept staring out at the room. Albus smacked his forehead.

"I totally forgot. I have detention with Kirke in a few minutes! It's Saturday already!" Albus said. Scorpius gave a devilish grin.

"Well, best not be late. Kirke will give you more detention just because you were late to this detention!" Scorpius said. A.J. chuckled, but Albus didn't. He didn't want detention, and felt like it had been pushed upon him. It wasn't like he had exactly done anything wrong. He'd just gotten a little heated and wanted to point out what _Kirke_ was going wrong.

"Oh dear." A.J. said, glancing out the window, frowning. "Is it Saturday already?"

"Like I just stated, yes." Albus said.

"Bother." A.J. said, glaring around the Common Room. "I was going to watch quidditch tryouts today. Next year, I'm trying out for the quidditch team."

"Yeah?" Scorpius asked. "What to be – chaser?" A.J. pursed her lips.

"Nah. Keeper." She said. Albus looked at her blankly.

"You want to be a keeper?" he asked.

"Yes." A.J. said. "And it's not like it's that shocking, so you can stop staring. Can't you image me as a keeper?" The thing was, Albus could imagine A.J. as a keeper. She would probably be amazing, considering her dad was a quidditch star.

"I just didn't think that you could be a keeper." Scorpius said.

"Always the tone of surprise." A.J. muttered, getting to her feet. "You best be off, Al. Before Kirke starts to think that you've ditched him. He hates people being late. You know that."

"Oh, yeah. I might show up late just to spite him… but that would get me extra detention. I'll see you two when I get back later tonight." Albus said, jumping up. He grabbed his bag, filled with his quill and his books and raced out of the Ravenclaw Common Room.

When Albus arrived at Kirke's office, Kirke was not there.

In fact, the place looked rather deserted. _The man's got to eat! He's probably at dinner_. Albus thought to himself, while he sat down to wait. But his intentions of waiting were quite shattered when he heard a very snide voice say:

"What are you doing here?" Albus turned around, twisting to face who had spoken. Balthazar was leaning up against the doorframe of the office, looking smug, as usual. In the past week, Balthazar had become an increasingly large problem in Albus, Scorpius and A.J.'s life. He kept bothering them. He was a Slytherin, as A.J. had found out only two days ago, and he seemed proud of it. Balthazar's seventeen year old sister, Bathsheba, wasn't always around to regulate Balthazar either. Whenever she wasn't around, he'd show up and torment Albus and his friends.

"I have detention with Kir – Professor Kirke." Albus said, tripping up and remembering just in time to call Kirke Professor.

"Well, glad to see someone around here has some sense, putting you in detention. What'd you do, light him on fire? I thought he looked a little burnt during this morning's class." Balthazar said.

"No, I simply told him that he should be giving points to my friend A.J. for answering his questions correctly." Albus said. Balthazar narrowed his eyes and watched Albus carefully for a long moment. Finally he said in a sly tone:

"Well, I'm sure that this A.J. guy is very happy you got in detention. He's probably overjoyed, actually. No one likes you." Balthazar said. Something about what Balthazar said really stung Albus. It wasn't the part about thinking that A.J. was a boy. Balthazar wasn't all that bright, and didn't realize A.J. was short for Amelia-Jane. It was the fact that Balthazar had said no one liked Albus. Now, Albus knew this wasn't true, but it still hurt. But that was what Balthazar was aiming for, wasn't it?

"A.J. is a girl." Albus said in an even and clipped tone. A small smile spread across Balthazar's face. He seemed happy that he was finally getting to Albus and annoying him. "It's short for Amelia-Jane. Get that through your thick head." Albus said. Balthazar looked outraged.

"Excuse me?" He demanded. But before he could continue, Albus had a sudden thought and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"You're excused. But if you don't mind me asking – what'd you do?" Albus said, interrupting Balthazar midsentence. Balthazar looked at highly offended.

"I said: Excuse me! I didn't do anything! And I will have you know that I am one of the smartest people in my family! I've very bright, Potter!" Balthazar snarled. Albus watched Balthazar as he spluttered, and considered before he answered.

"Then why aren't you in Ravenclaw?" He asked. Balthazar glared at Albus angrily.

"How dare you insult me and my family name!" Balthazar screeched.

"But I didn't insult your family name." Albus pointed out. Balthazar had to pause and think for a minute.

"Well, by insulting me, you insult my whole family! We are very high pureblood ranking wizards!" Balthazar snapped. Albus narrowed his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"Blood status means nothing." Albus said.

"It means everything!" Balthazar snarled. Albus studied Balthazar's face sadly. For a minute, he looked like just a normal kid. He looked a little sad, but also a little happy. His eyes weren't angry and filled with loathing. It was like – only for a second – Balthazar didn't hate Albus.

"Let's agree to disagree." Albus said. Balthazar opened his mouth like he wanted to speak, but Albus kept talking. "You know, I've been wondering what you're doing here?" Albus asked. Balthazar's anger returned in an instant.

"I was going to talk to Kirke about a question I had during the lesson that he didn't get to. I didn't know you were going to be here! I have to go!" And with that Balthazar marched from the room. Albus watched him go. He wondered for about the millionth time in the last week why the Slytherin boy hated him. What had Albus done wrong?

Albus got up and began to pace back and forth, watching Balthazar's retreating figure. Finally, Balthazar rounded the corner of the hall and disappeared. Albus returned and sat in the chair that he had been sitting in before. There was a mountain of papers on Kirke's desk. Bored, Albus picked one up. The handwriting was spindly and hard to read.

"A Study of Lost and Mysteriously Disappearing Magical Objects – Part 3 of 19… By Dobifer Kirke and Avanare Lenginivine…" Albus read out loud in a slow voice. He struggled to read the smaller print beneath the header.

_I (Dobifer Kirke and from this point on referred to as Kirke) as well as Avanare Lenginivine have been looking into many mysterious objects that have vanished from the face of history. There are many that we see (Such as the Elder Wand) go through history under many different names. But some items have completely disappeared. This is why I (Kirke) and I (Avanare Lenginivine and from this point on referred to as Lenginivine) have been looking into items that have vanished or otherwise disappeared from history. _

_In previous pages we have looked through the two items known most commonly as the Painting of Ancients and the Dragonflame Wand. Now, we shall look deeper into an item most commonly known as the Faery Book (Alternative spellings and names Fairy Book, Fairy Scroll, Fairy Tome, Faerie Book, Faerie Scroll, Faerie Tome, Feyrie Book, Feyrie Scroll, Feyrie Tome, Faery Scroll, Faery Tome). It is commonly known to hold the knowledge of all sorts of Faeries across the world, and is a very valuable item._

_From the information that we could glean from the pages of the books that we used to find out about this item, it would look inconspicuous. That alone, is possibly the reason that it disappeared so utterly and entirely from the history books of wizarding history. From what I (Kirke) read about in the books to find out about the Faery Book, it is a lilac color, with embossed silver writing on the front of it calling it the Faery Book. I (Lenginivine) theorize that over time, age has change the cover just to say Fae Book_.

_The Faery Book is actually a dangerous relic, that should be protected. But it was lost. The reason that the Faery Book needs to be protected is because inside its pages, there are thousands of important secrets. Not only this, but there is something dangerous trapped in those pages. The book that I (Kirke) read on the Faery Book was very vague about what might happen if the book was opened, but it was claimed that it was very dangerous. _

"What are you doing?" Albus whirled around to see Kirke standing in the doorway. The old man eyed the piece of paper in Albus's hand, and then snatched it away from him.

"Keep your paws off my things." Kirke said, stuffing the paper in a drawer. "Today, we're going to be doing some lines. I hope that you will learn your lesson by the end of these detentions."

"Yes, about that – when do these detentions end?" Albus asked.

"Christmas." Kirke said in a dry tone. He drew out some parchment from one of his drawers, and pulled out a quill and a pot of ink.

"What? I only spoke out in class! It can't be worth that long detention!" Albus exclaimed.

"Silence. I suggest that unless you want your detention to be for the entire year, you should keep your mouth shut. And I am the teacher here, do I dictate how long our detentions will be." Kirke said. Albus raised his hand.

"Yes?" Kirke asked after a minute of scanning the room idly. "Do you have a question Mr. Potter?"

"I was just wondering," Albus said in a rather clipped tone, "How long this particular detention shall go on?" Kirke smiled.

"As long as I see fit. I will let you go before tomorrow, let's say that, shall we?" Kirke asked. He continued to scan the room. Albus picked up his quill, and then he paused.

"You haven't told me what you want me to write _sir_." Albus said, gritting his teeth.

"Oh yes, write: _I shall not speak out in class, for it is disrespectful._" Kirke said.

"How many times?" Albus asked.

"Hmm? Oh, five hundred and fifty should be good." Kirke said. "And then report back to me. If I think that it is a good amount, you can go. If not, you will continue."

Albus looked down at his parchment, and gritted his teeth. He began to write: _I shall not speak out in class, for it is disrespectful _over and over again. His hands began to ache from all that writing.

Time ticked by. Minute after minute, hour after hour. Albus watched the clock that hung in Kirke's office when he could get a chance. Finally, he finished, and placed his hands on the table. He waited for Kirke to notice he was done. Kirke did, almost immediately.

"Ah, you have finishes five hundred and fifty lines. Write two hundred more." Kirke said. Albus bit back a snappy retort, and bent his head again to write.


End file.
